UFC 103 also a Sept. 19 foe for Floyd Mayweather

AP File PhotoFloyd Mayweather's fight against Juan Manuel Marquez will be going head-to-head against UFC 103 on Sept. 19. What will the impact on the audience of each? Only time will tell.

GRAND RAPIDS -- Two weekends ago, at a local sports bar where the 100th Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view telecast was shown, unadulterated cheers flowed every time a fighter landed anything meaningful, complete with resounding soprano and alto tones.

The gender-crossing appeal to UFC was positively Oscar De La Hoya-esque, and perhaps the biggest problem Floyd Mayweather's next fight faces has nothing to do with his actual opponent, but an unseen assault he can't counterpunch.

Mayweather's Sept. 19 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez has landed on the same night as UFC 103, the first time a truly substantive boxing pay-per-view event will face a direct challenge from the mixed-martial-arts kingdom which has threatened the old sport's pay-per-view throne.

The showdown was as intentional as a left hook to the jaw.

In time, it will turn as nasty as a purposeful punch to the protective cup.

And with the viewership for Mayweather's long-awaited comeback at risk -- along with, quite possibly, his negotiating leverage for a potential megafight against Manny Pacquiao -- it is the most important market test boxing has seen in years.

It didn't have to happen this way, except neither party dodged it, and might even have been eager for it.

That wasn't the initial design. When Mayweather-Marquez originally was scheduled last weekend, it was specifically to avoid UFC 100 on July 11. Mayweather accepted the scheduling advice but wasn't fond of kow-towing to UFC president Dana White, with whom his semi-friendship and marketing rivalry goes way back.

About three years ago, Mayweather said White came to his home, they hung out together, and White borrowed a pair of the boxer's basketball shorts, never to be returned. That might only be an issue in the world of Mayweather, but the erstwhile pound-for-pound king from Grand Rapids periodically used the allegation to springboard into his spiel that he also could dominate the inferior athletes in mixed martial arts.

Last week, White said Mayweather-Marquez isn't a big fight and he isn't scared of going head-up against it.

Mayweather countered by claiming MMA was created so white people could have an interest in a fighting sport.

Mayweather placed his rescheduled fight on Sept. 19, knowing UFC already tentatively planned an event that same night, because a major bout involving a Mexican fighter commonly is conducted in conjunction with Mexican Independence Day.

Last week, UFC 103 formally was announced for the same night.

When a referee tells combatants to touch gloves and defend yourself at all times, this isn't exactly the kind of challenge one usually envisions.

There are a number of ways this could go.

For one, the crossover audience between boxing and MMA always has been uncertain, although the once-distinct line separating them has blurred. Still, by and large, a fight fan typically either supports old-school boxing or new-wave MMA. So the real impact remains to be seen.

Then, there is the gnawing rumor, which is potentially crushing for Mayweather-Marquez, that UFC 103 may not be on pay-per-view at all, but could go to Spike TV instead.

Such a maneuver might betray White's actual willingness to go head-up with Mayweather for the pay-per-view dollar, but it would render the contest for the indifferent viewer a no-brainer: Pay $50 to watch Mayweather-Marquez, or watch UFC for no additional cost at practically any residence equipped with basic cable or satellite television.

If UFC 103 does go to pay-per-view, it would represent a direct challenge against a fighter who will have been idle more than 21 months, whose pay-per-views against anyone other than De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton sold to about 375,000 homes each (against Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah and Carlos Baldomir), and who is fighting an outstanding opponent but not the one boxing insiders most want to see him against.

If the old adage holds true, and the punch you don't see is the one that gets you, that could be particularly troubling for Mayweather-Marquez sales.

Especially when hitting an opponent while he is down is perfectly advisable.